Cul de Sac Golden Treasury

by Richard Thompson

  Spraying the cling wrap with oil would’ve prevented this, I’ve since learned.

  Time and numbers must be confusing to four year olds, and a little threatening.

  Stuffing jokes are cheap and easy, though not as cheap or easy as fruitcake jokes.

  Petey originally played the trombone, as I said, because it’s loud and aggressive in an elbow-throwing way. Therefore, it’s counterintuitive to Petey’s character and thus it’s funny. Ernesto originally played the bassoon. Maybe after he pinched his finger in the bassoon case he went sour on bassoons and switched to the trombone.

  Another example of Mr. Otterloop’s clumsiness. He should probably not try anything more physical than a pat on the head, or somebody’s going to get hurt.

  Who invented the tooth fairy? How does she fit into childhood mythology? Did the ancient Greeks have a tooth fairy that the Romans swiped and renamed? Was the tooth fairy then co-opted by a more vital religious tradition so we have her today? Who knows?

  Actually, I forgot about the plastic fangs when drawing the Halloween series and felt obligated to bring them back. Mistakes like that can pay off big later on if you pretend they’re intentional.

  The Otterloops spend more time reading printed material than fooling with the computer because books and newspapers are more fun to draw. I’d have them listening to LPs and wax cylinders for the same reason. As technology advances, it becomes less interesting to draw.

  Pop!

  Grandma goes feral again.

  I like the idea that Grandma’s house is layered and piled with slag heaps of stuff, some of it slowly becoming semitoxic.

  Emphasizing the right words is a tricky business. Like too many exclamation points, too much emphasis loses impact and everything turns into a shouting match. Choosing the right form of emphasis is tricky, too, as there are many of them and each marks a different change of tone. You’ve got the simple underline, the double and multiple underline, the wiggly underline, the boldface, the drop-shadow block caps, and on and on. They’re like the forte and piano markings in music notation.

  Grandma’s beet casserole. Only last year, Grandma was turning away any dish with beets. Is no one taking care of continuity on this strip?

  Petey’s taste in comics is often pretty severe and depressing. Toad zombies are no doubt some scathing commentary on our consumerist culture.

  This may be the first time this issue has been addressed in a comic strip, making any second time completely unnecessary.

  Expanded somewhat, this would make a great Beloved Annual Christmas TV Special.

  As drawn, it looks more like Dill is mackin’, or trucking than moseyin’.

  At some point in the strip’s first year, I realized that Petey had no milieu, no friends, or life, really. Somehow, this is what I came up with.

  Learning to wink is important at around four years old. Learning to cross your eyes is, too, and about as difficult.

  This form is called the Silent Penultimate Panel. The next to last panel is used as a pause in the joke, where a reaction is given time to slowly register. Here, Mrs. Otterloop uses it to smack herself in the kisser.

  Viola’s balloon in the second panel is an instance of increasing the underlinings to indicate a crescendo. Just a technical note for those who’re paying attention.

  When flushing ice cubes doesn’t work, be a nuisance.

  The whole Santa thing at some point seems a little creepy. Parents talk him up like he’s so great, but I think Santa’s got some personal problems. But please don’t tell anybody I said so, especially the kids.